The Wright Brothers

By: Emma


The Wright Brothers really started it all. If we didn’t have the Wright Brothers, we wouldn’t have a motorized airplane! They made the first ever airplane in 1903 and that just started it up! Orville Wright was born August 19, 1871. Wilbur Wright was born April 16, 1867. In 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright made the first successful flight! In 1910, they formed the first Wright Exhibition Team.

In 1888, Wilbur and Orville built a printing press. Orville was only 17 and Wilbur was 21! Wilbur also became president of a newly incorporated Wright Company. Wilbur and Orville Wright were brilliant mechanics. They built their own bicycle shop! Also, the Wright Brothers invented a way to control a side to side airplane with rolling motion in air, with warping wings. They also built a small 12-horse power gasoline engine that was attached to bicycle chains with propellers.

One of the most important things that the Wright Brothers invented was… the airplane. The Wright Brothers had a magnificent mechanic working for them. Whatever they did, they always worked together. The Wright Brothers were always interested in flight. In 1878, Wilbur and Orville’s dad gave them a plane toy with whirly jigs! They were always reading books about flight. Also, Wilbur’s dream was to build a full-size plane. Look at that, his dream came true! Wilbur and Orville became famous because of this; they flew the first manned flight. It started in August, 1900, when Wilbur Wright built his first glider with Orville. The next year, Wilbur and Orville invented a glider with a 22 foot long wingspan. In 1902, they built a plane that glided for 620 feet! On December 17, Orville made an flight attempt using the first ever machine-powered airplane. The flight lasted 12 seconds, covering 120 feet, and a lot of people said he really flew. In 1904, with a 40 foot long wingspan, and 505 square foot area, they built the first aircraft that flew in a full circle. On October 5th, 1905, Wilbur Wright circled in a plane 30 times, for 39 minutes and for a distance of 24 1/2 miles.

Wilbur and Orville Wright gave us the ability to travel far distances, to foreign lands in a
short amount of time. Because of their amazing invention, they made our world a smaller,
smarter place and gave us more opportunity to explore.



Works Cited

Busby, Peter, and David Craig. First to Fly How Wilbur and Orville Wright Invented the Airplane. New York: Crown Books for Young Readers, 2003.
NetTrekker - Educational Search Tool | Front Door. 13 May 2009 <http://www.nettrekker.com>.
Rinard, Judith E. Book of flight. Willowdale, Ont: Firefly Books, 2001.